[sbe-eas] R Next Gen EAS, who wants what?

[FRANK BELL]

Dear Sirs and Mesdames,
The IPAWS demo by FEMA was a good CAP demo. However with all the progress
there, what were the improvements to EAS itself being proposed? Well, text to
speech is an important improvement, but this leads to some questions, and the
answers I write after are strictly my own opinion, so I hope any errors would
be corrected;
1) What does FEMA want for EAS improvements?
I suppose that they want a system that is a better way of communicating alerts
delivered by CAP and EDXL-DE, and perhaps also a way to deliver such messages
in the unmodified form.
2) What does the FCC want for EAS improvements?
I suppose that they want something that they can manage the legal aspects of
and has a reasonable resemblance to the current Part 11 rules so that those
can be adapted.
3) What do State and local Emergency Managers want for EAS improvements?
I suppose that they want a system that is useful for more localized
emergencies which are often of a local tyupe of event, and that they can use
it in training and in exercises without disturbing the public. Also that IPAWS
is not too complicated by all the different system variations.
4) What do encoder/decoder manufacturers want for EAS improvements?
I suppose that they want to make the most sales with the least effort in order
to make the business worthwhile. Sales to Canada also, why not? Elsewhere,
well that could get complicated.
5) What do broadcast owners want for EAS improvements?
I suppose that they don't want to spend money unless they have to, but if the
encoder/decoder is an automation interface device so that the alerts can be
smoothly integrated into the program flow and show on the as-run log, that is
a desirable capability. This would not apply to alerts that need to be
immediate override e.g. EAN and earthquake.
6) What do broadcast engineers want from an improved EAS system?
I suppose that they want something that can be installed with the least amount
of work and not require further attention becasue the monitoring is automated,
problems with fan failure etc. do flag station staff, and it is reliable.
7) What does the public want from an improved EAS system?
I suppose that they want alerts when they really are for them, but not when
they are not for them (e.g. by small polygons the receiver can calculate), and
in the language they normally speak, with big text on TV if desired, and only
the important message without a whole lot of details which get too much to
remember in an emergency. E.g. a vehicle navigation system could give
navigation directions to a safe location and only the reason for the
evacuation. Also, that any improvements to consumer electronics can be an
optional feature which might only cost a cent or so more and are not
mandatory.

OK the list could be longer and the supposed answers more detailed, but then
this posting would be getting excessive. Can all this be accomplished with the
current analog EAS? It seems the FEMA and the FCC would like something better,
and now with TV becoming digital including the translators, and HD radio, this
opens possibilities not previously realistic.

For further information, which some might consider "mind numbing and boring",
try the latest at www.globalcom123.com/eas, and start with the powerpoint
"EAS+IPAWS Overview". Thanks for reading this far.
Sincerely,

Frank W. Bell

------ Original Message ------
Received: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 12:24:55 PM EDT
From: "k7cr" <k7cr at blarg.net>
To: "SBE EAS Exchange - a mail list for discussion about the EmergencyAlert
System and other emergency communication issues." <sbe-eas at sbe.org>
Subject: [sbe-eas] R  Next Gen EAS


 "Rich Parker" <rparker at vpr.net> wrote -


>I stopped by the FEMA/EAS/??? booth at NAB and had a quick CAP demo - 

> 

> I find that reading about all of this is perhaps the most mind numbing 

> and boring tasks I've ever had to do - but seeing and hearing it at the 

> show was a very eye opening experience.